I am a former city girl living on the coast of North Carolina with my hubby. I am a professional writer and blogger, Influencer, fundraiser, event planner, avid traveler, Costa Rican American, social media junkie, a wannabe chef, willy-nilly foodie and all around goofy girl. Contact me: carogonza1@yahoo.com

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Sunday, July 31, 2011

For those of you who don't know, I am originally from California. Yes, believe it or not I am a native Los Angelino!

This coming week, I am off to California. San Diego to be exact. I will be attending the BlogHer Conference. I will also be hosting the launch party for my friend Migdalia's new media company, Stiletto Media.

Of course, I will do my usual travel vlogs. So keep an eye out! Hopefully, I will have lots of pictures to share as well!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

This post is actually dedicated to my friend, Elianne. Elianne is a great lady and we share a love of tiaras. Last year, I met her at the BlogHer Conference and we had matching tiaras because that's how we roll.

We are going to be at the BlogHer Conference again this year. So we were talking about taking our matching tiaras. I couldn't remember where mine was and then it hit me. My tiara now lives on my Giant Speedy Gonzales plush toy. I think Elianne was a little surprised that I had a Speedy Gonzales stuffed toy.

Why wouldn't I though? Yes, Speedy is a Gonzales with an s and I am a Z Gonzalez but we are still Gonzales/z'. Plus, one of my nicknames is actually Speedy although I am anything but that. I think I am more like Pedro, his co-hort.

But I have to be honest, I have a lot of stuffed toys. I love them. I actually got Speedy years ago at Universal Studios Orlando. I asked Tom to win me one but he couldn't. So I had to take matters into my own hands because I was not leaving Orlando without my Speedy doll. I didn't. I actually won him for about $10. That's a great deal and I love him to pieces.

Well, turns out that Speedy loves wearing tiaras. That is why he is wearing my tiara. So this post is for Elianne. I will rip that tiara from his head and pack it away for next week because if I see Elianne, we so have to rock those tiaras again.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Okay, so today I went to get my hair cut, brows waxed and I decided to get crazy and get some highlights. Well, my hairdresser got a little crazy. She started the highlights and then realized that I was processing too fast. When she took the foils off of the first ones, my hair was almost blond!!

I was like, this is not going to work for me. She immediately took the others out then had to apply some color to tone the highlights down. Luckily, I am not one to panic because I figured I could just color my hair and get it back to normal.

But my hairdresser pulled it out at the end and got the highlights to a light brown. She also rocked the haircut as well. The brows look pretty good too. It could have been a disaster but it was averted.

Monday, July 18, 2011

I have been neglecting this blog. I try not to but my life is somewhat busy these days. Plus, my life is extremely dull so there is really nothing to talk about.

I go to my real job and work all day. Then I come home, make dinner, watch TV and work on an event that I am planning in August. In between, I try to catch up on stuff like cleaning the house, which you should know is not really happening. I clean this and that and then it gets dirty once again. Boo. I HATE having a dirty house but the cats refuse to clean so what can I do.

Even the garden is getting neglected. Luckily, the squash and zucchini plants are dying. Yes, I am happy they are dying. Although, they have been really good this year and I swear we have fed over 20 families in Jackson County, NC. It might even be more since we are giving our bounty away left and right. I am tired of the damn squash and zucchini. I can't eat anymore and I can't cook anymore. Luckily, a lot of people at my job and Tom's job were more than willing to take it off our hands. I might even have to give away some tomatoes this year!!

Yesterday I went out to the garden and it was choked with weeds. It is a sad sad sight. The grass is taking over and I am too lazy to worry about it. Only the tomatoes are left to harvest and I suspect they will all come in at the same time and I will have to put up Ziploc bags full this coming weekend. So instead of cleaning, I will have to be freezing tomatoes. Okay that is just an excuse NOT to clean. Sue me.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

These are Cherokee Heirloom tomatoes. These are also the first tomatoes we harvested this year. There are tons on the vine but still green. I am hoping that this weekend we have a few more ripe tomatoes to pick. I am using these babies to make some fresh bruschetta today. Yummy.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Okay for all my peeps who will be at BlogHer, I have a surprise for you. I have been working with my friend, Migdalia and her new company Stiletto Media, on a fun event during the BlogHer Conference in August in San Diego.

We are hosting an intimate cocktail party. The "Kick Off Your Heels" event is for those who just want to take a break from conferencing and have a nice evening where you can relax, eat, have one of our signature drinks, a Pink Stilitini, and network with your friends and brands.

Unwind at the swanky Omni Hotel, San Diego. Take in the view, party in style under the California sky and maybe get the pampering you need. Feast on on delectable hors d’oeuvres, a scrumptious pasta and salad bar, and a decadent chocolate fondue.

Spaces are limited so avansa/hurry! You don’t want to miss Stiletto’s 1st soiree! Click here to get your tickets!!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

What can I say, this is one of our favorite snacks ever. This is also the simplest recipe I will ever post. With our tomatoes growing out in the garden, we will be having tons of this in the coming weeks.

The first time I actually remember having good bruschetta was when we lived in State College, PA. There was a little pizza joint in town and they had the best pizza ever. They made it in wood ovens. They also had the best Bruschetta ever too.

I have had a lot of bruschetta but the simpler the recipe, the better it is. I really don't like mine with cheese or olives or other stuff in it. Bruschetta should be 4 simple ingredients: fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh garlic and good olive oil. Of course, you have to have some salt and pepper to taste but that's a given.

I started out with fresh basil from my garden. I didn't have fresh tomatoes yet so I got some nice heirloom ones from the grocery store. I had fresh garlic and good olive oil.

The first thing you do is dice the tomatoes into little cubes, julienne some fresh basil and mix in a bowl. You can mince your garlic but I like using a garlic press. Then I add some olive oil and the salt and pepper to taste. That is it.

The bread you use is important as well. I like using fresh bread but on occasion I use frozen Texas toast. Whatever you use, you should make sure it's hearty bread to stand up to the juiciness of the bruschetta.

We could eat this everyday. I make a big batch because the longer it sits, the tastier it becomes. I recommend this recipe if you love tomatoes. It makes an easy snack, appetizer or even a meal. I now serve it at my parties and people LOVE it!